A New Home For Tina
by autumnrose2010
Summary: Based on Season 6, Episode 11, 'Loose Ends'. AU in which Kel and Dixie are married and adopt Tina after the death of her father.
1. Dixie Meets Tina

"I'd love for you to meet her," Kel told Dixie. "She's a very intelligent little girl."

"I'm sure she is," Dixie replied. "But why do you want me to meet her?"

"She needs a good home, Dix," her husband said earnestly. "And we can give her one."

Dixie pretended to be busy with paperwork so that Kel wouldn't see the shock on her face. In the relatively short time they'd been married, the subject of children hadn't really come up. She'd simply assumed that they were both too busy with their respective careers to make the commitment that parenthood would require. And now Kel was thinking of taking this child in?

Yes, she realized that her husband had a special place in his heart for the young orphan. Tina had been in the back seat of the car that her drunken father had crashed into Kel's car. Her father had been killed instantly, and Tina herself had suffered a broken foot. Kel had been rendered unconscious and had suffered some minor contusions to his head and had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days.

Kel had blamed himself for the accident and for the death of Tina's father. Tina herself had been unwilling to talk to anyone except Johnny, until Kel had gone to visit her and learned that the girl's father had been an abusive alcoholic who fought with his family.

"I know this is very sudden," Kel continued. "But she has no one. Her mother's dead, and her uncle and aunt have a lot of children themselves and are reluctant to take her in. The only other option is for her to go into a foster home. Please, Dix, will you at least think about it?"

"All right," she agreed. "I'll meet her."

Tina had red hair and freckles and looked to be about ten years old. She was sitting up in bed drawing pictures of horses.

"Hi, Tina," said Kel. "This is my wife, Dixie."

"Hello, Tina," said Dixie.

"Hi," said Tina.

"Can I see what you're drawing?" asked Dixie.

"Sure." The little girl handed the drawing to the nurse.

"You're very talented," Dixie said.

"Thank you," Tina replied.

"I've always loved horses, too," said Dixie. "I know of a ranch nearby where you can go and ride horses all day long. The owners are friends of mine. Would you like for me to take you there sometime when your foot's better?"

"Oh, yes!" Tina exclaimed.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" Kel asked Dixie later when they were alone.

"She certainly seems to be a very sweet girl," Dixie replied. "And she deserves a good home with parents who love her. But do you think we're ready for that kind of responsibility?"

"With the right amount of determination, I don't see why not," Kel said. "We certainly wouldn't be the only dual-career family with a child, and a part of me has always wanted to be a father."

Dixie didn't say anything. She was too busy thinking. She'd felt drawn to Tina as well, although perhaps not quite as strongly as Kel obviously was, and besides a part of her had always wanted to be a mother, too.

'


	2. Tina Comes Home

Kel contacted social services right away, and he and Dixie were granted temporary custody of Tina until they'd had time to go through the adoption process. Soon Tina was ready to be discharged from the hospital, and Kel and Dixie brought a wheelchair for her to ride in. "Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"You're coming home with us to live," Kel told her with a smile. "How does that sound?"

"Neat!" Tina grinned.

Kel helped her into the wheelchair, and they all went together to Dixie's car. Kel's was still in the shop from when Tina's father had crashed into it.

"Wow, what a nice car!" Tina exclaimed. "I don't think I've ever ridden in a car this nice before."

"Thanks," Dixie replied. "I try to keep it looking good."

It was about a twenty-minute drive to Kel and Dixie's house. The lived in a large, comfortable two-story home on a couple of acres of land just outside Los Angeles city limits. There was a garden and lots of shade trees.

Tina's eyes grew round as she looked out the car window. The car pulled into the garage, and Kel helped Tina to stand on her crutches. Slowly they all made their way to the front door.

"Your permanent bedroom is going to be upstairs, but you'll be sleeping downstairs in the sun room until your foot gets better," Dixie told Tina.

The sun room was bright and airy, with an arched window on one side, a charming little dresser with a lamp on top against another wall, and a red sofa with a large plant on each side. A matching footstool was in front of the sofa, and on the hardwood floor was a tan rug with a curlicue design. Tina gasped in amazement. It was all so different from the cramped two-bedroom inner city apartment she'd shared with her father.

"The sofa makes out into a bed," Dixie told Tina, who was awed speechless by the grandeur of her new home.

"I think it's going to take her awhile to get used to her new surroundings," Kel chuckled, ruffling Tina's hair.

"Would you like to watch TV until dinnertime?" Dixie asked the young girl as she helped her to sit on the sofa.

"Sure," said Tina.

"I think 'The Brady Bunch' might be on right about now." Dixie switched the TV in the sun room on.

"Wow, it's in color!" Tina exclaimed.

"Well, of course." Dixie frowned.

"The set my Dad and I used to watch was black and white," Tina explained.

"Poor kid," Dixie said to Kel when they were outside the room.

"I didn't have a color TV set until several years after I'd finished my residency," Kel replied.

"Neither did anyone else," said Dixie.

After 'The Brady Bunch,' Tina watched 'The Partridge Family' and then "Family Affair,' and then it was time for dinner. Dixie made her special meatloaf with potatoes and beans.

"Dinner was delicious," Tina told her afterwards. "I'm sorry I'm not able to help with the dishes because of my foot."

Kel and Dixie looked at one another. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart," Dixie told Tina. "I think we've got the dishes covered."

Kel patted Tina's shoulder. "Why don't you come into the den and sit with me," he told her.

* * *

Kel and Dixie talked some more about their new ward after Tina had gone to bed. "I can't believe she's only ten," said Dixie.

"Neither could I, at first," Kel replied. "She must have had a terrible life with her Dad. I hope she'll be happy living with us." He got in on his side of the bed and held the covers for her. She slipped beneath them and into his arms, and they cuddled.

"Good night," said Dixie, switching off the bedside lamp. "I love you."

"Love you too." He kissed her lips, and they drifted off to sleep together.


	3. Tina's New School

Lying in her new bed in the dark that night, Tina's thoughts drifted to her father. He'd drank too much and been mean to her sometimes, but even so, she'd known him for her entire life, while she'd only known Kel and Dixie for a few days. As kind as they were, they were still little more than strangers to her. Suddenly feeling overwhelmingly sad, Tina began to sob. Kel and Dixie, asleep upstairs, didn't hear her, and she'd soon cried herself to sleep.

The next morning Dixie asked Tina what she wanted for breakfast.

"Just some toast. I'm not very hungry," the girl replied.

Dixie glanced at Tina and saw that her face looked puffy. "Have you been crying, sweetheart?"

"Last night I missed my Dad really bad," Tina said softly, staring at the tabletop. "I know he was mean to me, but I still miss him." She started to cry again.

"Darling." Kel took Tina into his arms and held her tight. "We know that you loved your Dad, and we'd never try to take his place. But you still need somewhere to live until you've finished growing up, and we'd like to provide that for you."

"I know," Tina sniffled. "It isn't that I don't like living here, because I do. It's just that..."

"It's going to take some getting used to," Kel finished for her. "We understand that. It's all right."

"Thank you." Tina smiled.

"Today we need to get you registered at your new school," Dixie told Tina. "School starts back in a few days."

"You mean I'm gonna be going to a different school now too?" asked Tina.

"We live in a different district than the one your old school is in," Dixie explained.

"But what about all my friends?"

"You'll make new ones," Kel assured her.

After breakfast, they drove to Tina's new school. It looked a lot newer than her old school, which had been in a battered, ancient building downtown bordered by sidewalks and pavement except for a tiny overgrown yard in the back. This new school was large, clean, and pristine white, and situated on a huge, immaculately manicured lawn. Tina gasped. "Am I really gonna be going to school here?"

"That's right," Dixie said with a smile.

The inside of the school was even nicer. The floor was carpeted, and everything looked new, clean, and shiny. It was also brightly lit, in contrast to Tina's old school, which had been very dimly lit, with about half the light bulbs burned out most of the time.

"This is Tina Redmond, our new foster child," Dixie told the receptionist. "We'd like to register her for school here."

The receptionist had Kel and Dixie fill out some paperwork, then walked with Tina down a hallway to show her where her new class would be.

After that, the family went to Woolworth's to buy Tina's school supplies and to get her some new clothes and shoes to start school in. The new clothes cheered Tina up considerably, but she was still nervous about starting the new school.

"I'm not gonna know anybody there," she said to Kel and Dixie later.

"That's all right. You'll get to know them very quickly," Dixie told her.

"I'll bet the kids will all be rich like you, won't they?"

Dixie chuckled. "We're not rich, Tina. Comfortable, yes, but definitely not rich."

"You know what I mean." Tina dug the toe of her good foot into the carpet. "They'll be able to tell I'm different, won't they?"

"Tina." Kel gently took her by both arms and looked straight into her eyes. "I want you to walk into that classroom with your head held high and a smile on your face. Nobody will be able to look down on you if you do that. Got it?"

"Got it." Tina grinned, suddenly feeling much better.

Kel took her out for ice cream after dinner to cheer her up, and soon her anxiety about the new school was forgotten.


	4. Tina Starts School

"Now remember what we told you, sweetheart," Dixie told Tina as she swept a stray lock of hair back from the girl's face.

"Hold your head up and smile," Tina said with a grin.

"That's right." Kel patted Tina's shoulder approvingly.

Since Tina was still on crutches, she had to have help getting on and off the bus, and the driver had reserved the first seat in front for her. The other children looked at her curiously on the way to school but didn't say anything.

Tina remembered the way to her new classroom and so got there without any problem. As soon as all the other children arrived, Tina's new teacher, Mrs. Swanson, introduced her. "Class, this is Tina Redmond. Today is her first day of school here. I know we're all going to make her feel welcome."

"Hello, Tina," the class said dutifully.

"Let's see...I think I'll put you right over here, next to Lori." Mrs. Swanson led Tina to her new desk. Lori had medium-length dark blonde hair held back with a head band, blue eyes, and braces on her teeth. She smiled at Tina, and Tina smiled back.

The class studied math, science, and English. Then they went to the chorus room for music, and then it was lunch time. Tina sat beside Lori, and two other girls sat across from them.

"This is Karen and Lisa," Lori told Tina. Both girls had long dark brown hair and blue eyes.

"How'd you hurt your foot?" Karen asked Tina.

"I was in a wreck over the holidays," Tina replied. She debated whether or not to tell them about her father, then decided not to, since she'd only just met them.

"Wow, that must have been scary!" Lisa exclaimed.

"It was the scariest thing that ever happened to me," Tina agreed.

"So what school did you go to last term?" asked Lori.

"South Central."

The other three girls exchanged surprised looks. "Did your Dad get a new job? Is that why you go to school here now?" asked Karen.

"No, he still has the same job he's always had," Tina said evenly.

"What's he do?" asked Lisa.

"He's a doctor at Rampart, and my Mom's a nurse there."

The other three girls looked impressed. "So, how come you used to go to South Central?" asked Lori.

"That was when I used to live with my old family, before my new family adopted me," said Tina, thinking quickly.

"Wow, you sure are lucky," said Karen.

"So what does your Dad do?" Tina asked her.

"He's a lawyer," said Karen. "That's cool that your Mom works too. Mine doesn't."

"So, do you like the Jackson Five or the Osmonds better?" Lisa asked Tina.

"I don't know," Tina replied thoughtfully, profoundly grateful to her for changing the subject. "Michael Jackson's awfully cute, but so's Donny Osmond."

"I got the newest album by the Jackson Five for Christmas," Lori announced. "Want to come over to my house this weekend and listen to it?"

"Yeah!" all three of the other girls said together.

* * *

"You worry too much," Dixie told her husband as they entered Rampart together for their first day of work after a few days off. "I'm sure she'll be just fine."

"It's just that I know adjusting to a new school is going to be a real challenge for her," Kel replied. "It's a whole new group of kids."

"Oh, kids are the same all over," Dixie said breezily.

"So, how's the foster parenting working out?" Dr. Early asked the couple.

"Just fine, so far," Kel told him. "I think Tina's filled a longing inside me that I didn't even know was there."

"Its the same way for me," Dixie added.

"That's great." Dr. Early smiled. "I hope it continues to go well for you."


End file.
